Contd.
How does Dick’s essay (1999; 1964) illuminate his use of Nazism as a motif in High Castle?
Dick illuminates the use of the Nazi motif with a citation from Harry Warner; ‘...we might identify with the war guilt of the Germans because they’re so similar to us...’ (Dick, 1964)
Conjured within the nightmare of ‘becoming the enemy’ is a parallel ‘Was some old village German lady in 1939 ‘guilty’ of a decision at Eichmann’s bureau in Berlin?’ (Dick, 1964)
Here Dick exercises a use of relativistic logic reminiscent of the twist given in ‘The High Castle’ in the form of the alternate-world-within-an-alternate-world book ‘The Grasshopper Lies Heavy’.
I.e. The Nazis could be in our place, or we may very well be in theirs.
According to McKnee, what relationship did Dick’s ideas have to (a) Christianity (b) religion and philosophy in general?
Dualisms are present in Dick’s novels and they carry references to ‘Buddhism, orthodox Christianity, Platonic philosophy and Hindu Vedata, among many other philosophical systems.’ Conversely, some of his novels carry little to no expression of religion or philosophies, Lorenzo DiTommao (2001) argues ‘So many Dick scholars take for granted the view that his philosophy is static or entirely coherent. It is not, and sometimes not even within the context of a single novel.’
How would you assess Dick’s status as an author today in terms of (a) popular culture (b) critical reception?
Dick is something of an obscurity in popular culture. In life, he did not take criticism in the best of strides and he made little effort to build a relationship with his fanbase, remarking in Brown (2001) his surprise he even had fans. Today, critics pay tribute to his legacy and films inspired by his work have taken on a life of their own.
As I mentioned earlier Filip - some interesting points - and it's great that you're now up to speed - but it might be useful if, rather than spead your responses across so many discussion questions,you focus on just a few questions (perhaps looking for some connection in your responses - see Sam's recent post). Your intial response to the first question above has potential, for example, and I'd personally be interested in seeing where you might have taken it . . .
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